Conrad faces his first major challenge against India during his first white-ball tournament as South African head coach. He has already called it “the biggest match of the competition so far” and is eager for the challenge. The first goal of the team has been accomplished but he wants his team to live in the current moment.

South Africa will complete their Super Eight matches against Zimbabwe but their qualification status will probably become known before that match occurs. The next five days in Ahmedabad carry vital importance. On Sunday, a large crowd will attend the event which will exceed twice the previous maximum attendance for South Africa matches because 55,000 fans watched their game against New Zealand at the same location. The match will occur on a black-soil pitch which provides a slower surface that benefits spin bowlers.

Conrad said: "The match-ups can be overstated. I'm not a big fan of it. Sometimes the wickets are so good that it takes the match-ups out of the equation. If there's something in the wicket and there's a little bit of spin, then the match-up could be there for the offspinner against the left-hander. Maybe the angle you create sometimes. By and large, I think it's slightly overstated on really good batting wickets."

Also Read | Mohammad Amir Warns Abhishek Sharma After Three Ducks in T20 WC 2026

Conrad was referring to Abhishek Sharma, who has not yet scored in the tournament because he missed India's second match because of his illness. He has not been able to find his batting form because he twice lost his wicket to offspinners during three innings. The main attack of South Africa includes only two left-arm spinners as their primary bowlers. Aiden Markram, who bowls more than just part-time offspin, and Tristan Stubbs, another occasional offspinner, spent extended sessions working on their bowling in the nets on Friday.

Ishan Kishan leads the six-hitting charts with 11 maximums so far, while Ryan Rickelton sits eighth with eight sixes, followed by Hardik Pandya with seven. South Africa expects power-hitting to pose them challenges because they played multiple formats against India during their tour last year. The T20I series ended with a 3-1 loss for them, but Conrad regarded the series as practice and now he wants to demonstrate his team's progress.